Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-10-08
THE TALK OF NEW YORK.
;o>sip Heard and Repeated by Cuns'
innings and Hall.

Gossip Heard and Repeated ~ CUM.
innings and Hall.
A DETECTIVE TELLS About coNsPfRAurRs 10 DE-
FRArp coRroRArIoNs-How ACCIDENT SUITS ARR
SOMETIMES pKFEArEp-rHE IRISH CAUSE GOING rP
AND THE ANARCHIST GOING DOWN.
Special Correspondents of THE EVENING STAR.
NEW York October ..
A large, thiek-set man. whose dress and bearing
Indicated great prosperity sat at a table in the
Morton House the other evening. He doesn't look
It. but he is detective, the very antrhests In ap
pearance OF the gaunt, keen-eyed. reticent indi-
vidual that the average writer makes the typical
detective Of his story. He talked freely but never
fndiscreetly. "How about that case OF sn organ
tied attempt here h New York to blackmail .
prominent Boston mani" was asked OF the de-
tective
.'lt is great case. y said he. There has been
that fellow got his life insured with nearly every
company In New York and then pretended 10 die
az little country town near here. He had secured
corpse and left II In hts room at the hotel II
was regularly certified that the CORPSE was that
Of the man who had taken the room and his reia-
was indiscreet enough when he had gone away TO
write TO his 1aucee-it Is this writing 70 his girl
ana b usually leads 70 the detection OF criminal
10 south America, where he now 10.
ACCIDENT srlrs.
THE most troublesome cases detectives have,
who work for corporations are those known %
accident suits. There are now pending more than
1000 suits for damages against the elevated roads
laborer was going to work, and. while passing
under the Third avenue elevated road a Careless
woTs sna a., on the Latter Line let piece Of timber
got scalp wound and bruise OF the shoulder
put sustained no serious injury. A lawyer got
against the company for sc, 600 damages Con-
trary 70 the lawyers instructions, he went out on
the street s to enjoy his leisure His counselor
over saloon and practically made him a pris-
oner. We found out where he was and I set out
his lodgings one night, drank vie whisky
until along toward morning. pretended TO
1ef asqpk ana ~, Was Carried into an upper
the claimant. When my companions OF the saloon
had LETT me I climbed up o ladder, forced open a
disguised as a sea captain. and the man, NOT sus-
pecting my Identity, told me how and Why he had
been made prisoner. persuaded him TO descend
him to sea with me and pay him literally. once
outside conducted him 10 the Offices OF the rail.
road company, and there he Was offered $500 II be
would sign release from all claim against the
railroad company. He readily gave his signature
to the document and went home happy. II he had
brought suit he might have gotten nearly all that
was demanded In his action"
FRAUDULENT PARALYrTc.
"But how about the biackmailing case7" per-
sisted the listener
swell get at that by and bye" said the detec-
tive. "Let me tell you more about accident suits
one one night man Was going home along SEA stree!
or house owned by a woman OF comparatively
modest means. He went home and at once insti.
that he HAD been totally paralyzed In his lower
limbs by the accident ] was employed by the de-
fendant to ferret out the case. I hired a physi-
clan TO examine the man. lie turned the battery
on him and secured ample evidence that he was
amulatlhg paralysis. l hired q room directly
Invalid and watched his @ovem ns s sisS
q held glass saw him walking about
his room and so testified at the trial. The doctor
correoorated my story, but the man had employed
attendants TO carry him into the cour. room and
he acted his part so well that in spite OF ali the
evidence we addSced the plaintiff got $500 dam.
| the suit was fraud or 10 demand no pay for my
services. In order TO convince her arranged that
joining those occupied by the claimant she dis
covered that two days after the trial he was able
TO walk dowp stairs and get his beer When had
proved this ! accepted the stipulated fee for my
.'Let me remind you that you haven't told me
yet about the blackmailing case"
| JURIEs AND CORPORATIONS
''Pause moment" responded the detective
''To prove to you that corporation has no chance
with an average Jury, let me tell you case that
occurred in Detroit. man had been struck by a
Michigan Central locomotive and injured. He
brought suit, claiming that the engineer had not
sounded his bell as a warning, while the engineer
averred that the bell had been constantly rum
The claimant won In the lower court and the case
Was taken up TO higher tribunal. The super1n-
tendent OF the road then determined 10 Try an ex.
pertinent. He boarded an engine going down the
line through the city and stood in the cab with a
disinterested witness He rang the bell as fast as
possible and saw to II that the locomotive made
| only miles an hour. Orcers OF the company were
stationed at severalof the crossings and they sum.
moned witnesses who had seen the engine 20 Uy
| or a large number or these only three swore
| that the locomotives hell was ringing. some
anxgfn svofv A Asr,flnc
hour and none OF them fixed the rate OF speed a,
| less than Is miles an hour. They all, no doubt
| unTeliability or the ordinary witness against
corporation. The company offered this evidence
but IL was defeated, nevertheless. You may moi
| be friend OF the corporations but Il may In
terest you TO know that the Lake shore Road wal
defrauded OIL more than quarter or million dol
| lars In fraudulent claims Tor damages on accouu,
| OF the Ashtabuia disaster. You know many OF ths
bodies were 50 completely consumed there tina,
not a trace was left Of them. The false claimant.
at the time to resist without occasonfng 200 mucl
public Indignation compromised the suits but IL.
claim agent discovered later that they wert
| grOundleSS"
/ sHADowING MAN IN NEW YORK.
snow please tell me about the Matchmaking
| case, {" insisted the listener.
The detective smiled and said by way OF evasion
''Do you know that New York is the most difficult
| city In the world for q detective to shadow man:
The elevated roads, for one thing. make 1t So You
! start out to follow man. You must be careful
not to let him see you. He takes q train on the
road, rides TO the first station, and gets on &c
| throw on his trail any supposed shadower. He
| that He may change thus three time on Jour-
ney, andif he sees any body following his example
he is pretty that he is being Swallowed and he
skps out OF sight Try To follow him on Broadway
| and he can give you the slip with the
| utmost ease as be lodges in and out OF the
| crowd or makes his way through side streets
| only to emerge again on Broadway block or
! TWO away. 1t Is quite the custom TO criticize
| the detective when a criminal gives him the slip
| I remember the case OF two eminent criminal
lawyers In the West who had seen a great deal
| OF life. They were employed TO defend MoII,e
Matches, one OF the most adroit pickpockets that
ever lived. They cleared him and Molie gave
| them a dinner. At its conclusion the lawyers
said: Matches. you are pretty good at your bus
Old.timers like ourselves Matches smiled, but
did not meet their boast with any declaration.
One or the attorneys wore O valuable diamond
cluster pin on his shirt 'front.' and the other
had several bills or large DENOMINATIONS in
his coat pocket. As they were about to leave the
diAner-room, Matches astonished the former by
returning the pin, which be had removed from the
the lawyers shirt front, while taking with him,
and by handing back TO the latter the bills that
he bad distracted from the inside coat pocket
without giving the lawyer the least intimation OF
what he was doing"
"But how about the blackmailers,v urged the
listener.
'Not this evening wait TIN some other even.
Ing" said the detec i've with an aggravattnQ
smile as he arose and slipped away after having
talked eli around the subject without dlvulging Z
single secret. AMOS ). CuMMiN0s.
IL